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Darrel, Good to meet you as well. In my short time with this community I have been warmly welcomed and had a great time chatting with these folks. I think that your BB choice will serve you well. Brandon has me planning and plotting on how to put the funds together for my own Warbonnet setup. Now if I can just figure out how to also afford to take some trips to get to some of the group hangs.

Darrel, Good to meet you as well. In my short time with this community I have been warmly welcomed and had a great time chatting with these folks. I think that your BB choice will serve you well. Brandon has me planning and plotting on how to put the funds together for my own Warbonnet setup. Now if I can just figure out how to also afford to take some trips to get to some of the group hangs.

Hey pgibson,
I strongly suspect that you are correct with regard these BB's working out for us.
From everything I have read in this past few weeks they will likely represent a new level of comfort and performance over our previous adventures in hanging.

These boards and the generosity of the members really cuts down on the time it would normally take to research all of this gear that goes into a Trek such as this.

I have gleaned so much worthwhile information and rather quickly narrowed down our gear selections.

Got a letter out to Brian at ULA regarding a Catalyst for myself and a Circuit for my wife.
We are 'becoming' lightweight packers but anticipate needing the volume for all of the bulk. Hoping for a pack weight in 30-35# range, all inclusive and with allowance for colder temps possible in early spring .

As you mentioned, budgeting for all of this gear as well as time away can be a real challenge. This is especially true if you are a gear head ( guilty ) and like nice stuff.

We are into DIY and will be making much of our gear.
Also are fond of treasure hunting at the local thrift shops.
Found a nice Woolrich Prime Northern Goose Down vest at Goodwill today for 7.49 ( orange tag special of the day) Yea Buddy!!!!

Shug,
Shug.... My Main Man...
You Sir are one very talented and generous individual !

I made mention of your influence on my decision to try out the Black Bird to Brandon in my letter to him last night.
Your videos, while being a hoot are also filled with practical information, wonderful insights and obvious experience.
I would like to personally thank you for your desire, time and effort to do them .

Darrel ... it is my pleasure to make those vids .... if it helps others , all the better. I really just like watching me embarrass me!
You will love the Catalyst .... very roomy and a cinch to pack.

Hey Shug,
Good deal!
I was thinking that I could 'get by' with the Circuit or even the Ohm but for this particular trip and the time of year we need to do it in, I figured I better plan on having a bit more room for bulky, cold weather gear.

Additionally I will likely carry more of the gear then my wife, thus allowing her to run with the smaller ULA Ohm or Circuit.
I am grateful for her company and part of my plan is to really make sure she has a great time. If these means I need to carry additional weight, so be it.

Much of our gear will be new (to us) and trip specific. Some we will make, some scrounged from yard sales and various thrift shops and some will of course have to be secured new.

I mentioned in another thread that I was having a design modification done on one of our Black Birds....
In a letter to Brandon, here then is the idea ( Brandon agreed to do it) .

I had one more idea that I wanted to run by you.
If possible we will hang both hammocks together and share* a tarp whenever the setting allows for such a hang.

*(We will each be packing our own 'Winter tarp' but whenever possible will try to sleep close and if possibly facing each others hammock.)

I was wondering if you could make #2 a mirror image of the stock version so that we could have the zipper openings face each other?

This would allow for passing gear back and forth as well as basic contact .

# 1 would have the foot box right, head left and zipper left.
I assume this is stock.

#2 would have foot box left, head right and zipper right. AKA mirror image of #1.

I hope this idea works out as I envision it could.

For this trip the name of the game will be flexibility.
I want to have multiple options and a measure of redundancy .
We also want to avoid over planning or over orchestrating the trip. Let it evolve in harmony with the feelings and desire we have while 'in the moment'.